State Rep. Brian BeGole and Michigan House Republicans are fighting to ensure voices throughout the state are heard.

An Amicus brief was recently filed by Michigan House Republicans after the Board of State Canvassers denied a state constitutional amendment that would require Michigan voters to prove they are U.S. citizens from appearing on the November ballot. The group that originally circulated the proposal for signatures has asked the Michigan Supreme Court and U.S. Supreme Court to reverse the decision through emergency order.

“We are fighting for people who have seen one embarrassing headline after another about non-citizens having their votes count in Michigan or non-citizens trying to vote in our elections,” said BeGole, of Antrim Township. “Throwing these signatures out and denying this proposal disregards a priority for hundreds of thousands of people across our state, including many I represent in Shiawassee, Saginaw and Genesee counties. That priority is ensuring our elections are free, fair, safe, secure and for U.S. citizens only.”

The group behind the ballot proposal effort submitted over 700,000 signatures, which was over 250,000 more than what was required. The state’s Bureau of Elections claimed that not enough signatures were valid in a “random sampling” of 1,000 signatures, despite a majority of signatures within the board’s sample being valid.

The denial by the state board comes after Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel recently announced charges against five non-citizens for election crimes in 2024. Last April, a review from Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson found that 15 individuals who weren’t U.S. citizens voted under her watch in the 2024 presidential election.

A Pew Research Center poll from last year found that 83 percent of U.S. adults strongly favored or favored requiring all voters to show government-issued photo identification to vote. Similarly, a Gallup poll from 2024 disclosed that 83 percent favored requiring people who are registering to vote for the first time to provide proof of citizenship.

“This is something that the people of Michigan should decide, not partisan bureaucrats on state boards,” BeGole said. “We are working to protect these voices.”